MUMBAI: A special POCSO court today granted bail to a 40-year-old teacher, accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old male pupil at the school she was formally employed. A detailed order copy is yet to be made available. The woman, mother of two, was arrested last month. Seeking bail, the woman’s defence lawyers Neeraj Yadav and Deepa Punjani submitted that case against her is “false and fabricated.” They also submitted that custodial interrogation was not required. Police had booked the teacher and a female friend who contacted the boy on her behalf when he started distancing himself from her under multiple sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012. It was alleged that the Std 11 student was introduced to the teacher, who is married and has children, during the school’s extracurricular activities, including dance groups she had organised in Dec 2023. Over time, she allegedly gained his trust and began isolating him from his peers. She reportedly took him in her car to isolated locations and sexually assaulted him. Police have seized the car. She also took him to 5-star hotels, where more of the alleged abuse occurred, police said.
